Who's Nina
by Inuchemist10
Summary: Future fic. Edward is reminded of a very painful memory by his young daughter. He want's to tell her so much, yet is stopped by the childs sheer innocence. Written for Lj's prompt 8.


**Disclaimer:** I don't own a thing...obviously.

**Word count:** 918

**Summary: **Chimera can be an ugly term and sometimes an ugly part of ones life. And it shouldn't be something told to the innocent. Post manga, future fic.

**Pairings:** Ed-centric and a little 'guest', don't want to spoil.

**Authors note: **I am not entirely sure where this came from. I wanted to write something with the most important chimera in the anime/manga...so I went with this. Hope you all enjoy!

**Rating: **PG-13 for Edward's damn potty mouth.

Who's Nina?

Edward sat slouched in the chair in his study. His mismatched unsocked feet were stretched out in front of him. One metal hand held onto the spine of a rather thick, opened book; while the other flesh and blood, shook a glass of melting ice and iced tea. He blew at the whisps of bangs that kept shielding his view; and wished he would have pulled his damp hair back into a pony tail. He yawned loudly and scratched at the tag of his red tee-shirt. Letting his eyes move back to focus on the book he had been reading; Edward turned a page and yawned again. He read a few more lines when his attention had just started to redirect into the book. He had been for the better part of an hour trying to read the damn book and stay focused.

He put his glass down and straightened himself, placing the book onto his desk and leaning over it to view the book.

"Daddy?" A tiny, high pitched voice interrupted.

Edward flinched, sitting straight up to see the small child pulling on the leg of his sweats. Bright, wide gold eyes stared up to him, with nothing but innocence and questions in their depths. Edward smiled lightly and turned his attention on the little girl who had beckoned him. She was holding a few photographs in her small hands. Her cheeks were rosy and flushed from her bath and her lips were pursed.

"Who's this daddy?" She pressed again, beating Edward to an answer. She jabbed her finger at the photograph that she had in the front of her pile. The picture was of Edward, Alphonse in a suit of armor (who she didn't know was him) and little Nina Tucker. Edward cringed at the picture that bestowed a joyful happiness that was burned by madness and pain. He hadn't looked at the photo his wife probably had stashed in her memories box, for quite some time. And for a long time Edward had managed to block most of the horrors in his past life and replaced them by the joys of his present life.

Madison Sarah was one of those joys; as well as her mother and long time mechanic to Edward. But Maddy ( or what Edward liked to call her Mad-Sarah, because of her temper) was different from Winry. She was pure, innocent and naïve. Winry had seen the terrors that life can bestow and the pain. She had walked that path with the Elrics faithfully and willingly. Maddy was like an angel to the alchemist and he did not want to taint her with the terrors of his past life. He didn't want her to ever see the parts of him that he considered ugly; or the dog he had become. For all Maddy knew; her father was a brilliant alchemist married to her mother. Even at a mere five years old, Maddy had never questioned Edward on his mechanical limbs. She thought they were means to help Edward perform alchemy better and that was where both Edward and Winry wanted the topic to remain until the child was older. But now it seemed she asked the inevitable from the man.

"An' this picture...what kind of dog is that!?" Maddy pulled another picture from the pile; a picture of Nina Tucker again, only this time she was a chimera. Edward didn't even know where the picture came from! Edward sighed, looking to the floor for answers.

"Daddy?! You aren't answering me..." The girl pouted, letting her bottom lip protrude from her mouth.

"Maddy...that's a little girl I knew named Nina. She was a lot like you...even had the braids." Edward smiled lightly, tossing one of Maddy's gold braids behind her back.

"Is this her dog?" The girl asked innocently, again pointing to the picture of the thing Shou Tucker turned his only daughter into. Edward involuntary clenched his fists and his jaw from the memory.

For a moment Edward considered telling Maddy just what and who Nina was; but his wife saved the day calling Maddy to bed.

"Okay mommy! I'm coming...don't forget to get my favorite book!" The little girl shouted.

"Night daddy! Got to go read my favorite book!" Maddy pushed up on her tip-toes and kissed Edward's cheek. A moment later she pushed the photos in her dads hands and dashed off.

Edward heard the floor board's creek and looked up to see Winry standing in the doorway, in her night gown and a purple robe. Her blond hair been loosely clipped up into a sloppy bun. Her lips were set in a thin line. Edward set the photos down and took a sip of his watered down ice tea, avoiding her questioning gaze.

"Edward, I know that guilt ridden look all to well. What happened? Did Maddy say something wrong?" Winry questioned, crossing her arms across her chest.

"No...no, she just- She found some old pictures, Winry. One's I haven't seen in years..." Edward eyed the photos on his desk. He picked up the one of the chimera and flashed it in front of Winry's face.

Winry's blue eye's widened and she covered her mouth. "Where did she find that!?"

"Don't know...hell, I didn't even know we had this...or where it came from...but I didn't want her to see it, not the hurt and pain of that monster..."

Edward sighed and put the photo into a drawer followed by the rest.

"Not that poor innocent chimera..."


End file.
